Telephonic communications – Supervisory or control line signaling – Substation originated
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-29
2001-06-19
{haeck over (S)}mits, T{overscore (a)}livaldis I. (Department: 2741)
Telephonic communications
Supervisory or control line signaling
Substation originated
C379S216010, C379S355020
Reexamination Certificate
active
06249579
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates in general to telecommunication services and, more particularly, to an apparatus, method and system for personal speed calling.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
With the advent of sophisticated telecommunication services, telecommunication consumers frequently desire to utilize speed calling. In the prior art, telephone customers are able to utilize speed calling by, first, personally defining a list of telephone numbers that they frequently call, and second, by manually entering or programming all of those numbers into predefined locations within the user's telephone or the switching equipment of the local telephone network. Once the list is individually defined and manually programmed, the user may typically speed dial a number on the list by entering a short sequence of digits, or by pressing a programmed button on the user's telephone.
There are many difficulties and inconveniences associated with such current speed calling approaches. First, the user must take the time to define their individual speed calling list, and then take additional time to program each such number into the telecommunication equipment once the list is individually defined. Second, such programming is typically not user-friendly, and consumers often experience frustration and dissatisfaction with such required programming. Third, the user must personally manage the speed calling list, keeping track of each speed dial digit sequence which corresponds to each speed dial number, or keeping track of each name and number corresponding to a programmed speed dial button. Yet another disadvantage of current speed calling approaches, the user must also manually update their speed calling list, to add new numbers and names, and to delete other numbers and names. These current approaches to speed calling tend to be inconvenient, frustrating, and frequently annoying and dissatisfying to the typical consumer of telecommunication services.
As a consequence, a need remains for an apparatus, method and system that may be used by a telecommunication consumer to automatically speed dial their outgoing calls. Such speed calling should be automatic and occur without personal interruption and inconvenience, such as without any need to personally define and manually program a speed calling list. Rather, such speed calling should include automatically generating and managing a user specific speed calling database or list, without any required user intervention. Such an apparatus, method and system should be user friendly, and should be personalized and automatically tailored to the needs, tastes and preferences of individual customers. In addition, the apparatus, method and system should be cost effective and capable of implementation in existing telecommunication systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an apparatus, method and system for personal speed calling for outgoing calls, without consumer interruption and inconvenience associated with developing and maintaining a speed calling list. The present invention provides such automatic speed calling in accordance with the personal and tailored needs, tastes and preferences of the individual telecommunication consumer. In addition, the apparatus embodiment may be implemented in customer premise equipment, such as telephones, while the system embodiment may be implemented in existing telecommunication systems, such as network switches. The various embodiments may also be expanded to include more than voice communications, such as faxing, other data communications, and video conferencing.
The personal speed calling of the present invention incorporates an “organic persona” concept, such that not only are the services personalized or customized to the needs or preferences of individual consumers, but also the apparatus or system automatically learns these preferences by observing the actions or activities of the individual consumer. In accordance with the present invention, such personal and individualized automatic speed calling is based upon a statistical or other probabilistic likelihood that the individual consumer is more likely to want to speed call certain telephone or other telecommunication numbers, rather than others numbers, at a particular time. Such a likelihood is derived from a measure of an affinity between the calling and called parties, such that the speed calling party is more likely to want to place a call to someone with whom they have a greater or more significant affinity or association, such as their parent or child, and less likely to want to place a call to someone with whom they have a lesser or no affinity or association. As a consequence, calls having a greater affinity measurement are given a correspondingly higher priority in the speed calling process, and calls having a lesser affinity are given a correspondingly lower priority in the speed calling process.
Such affinity measures may be performed or derived in a variety of ways. In the preferred embodiment, the present invention measures such an affinity based upon two parameters. First, affinity is based upon the frequency of calls between the called and calling parties. For example, a higher affinity may exist between people who call each other frequently. Second, affinity is based on the duration or holding time of such calls, with calls having a brief duration indicative of a lower affinity, such as calls from telemarketers, wrong numbers, or prank calls. The telephone numbers corresponding to the calls having such a comparatively high affinity, in the preferred embodiment, are stored in an affinity database and are referred to herein as “affinity numbers”.
A method for personal telecommunication speed calling, in accordance with the present invention, includes, first, selecting an affinity name from an affinity database. The affinity database is preferably ordered for ease of use, and easily displayed for the user. Second, the method automatically dials an affinity telephone number corresponding to the selected affinity name.
In the preferred embodiments, an affinity database is maintained which has a plurality of affinity names and corresponding affinity numbers. The telephone numbers included in the affinity database are determined by including telephone numbers corresponding to outgoing telecommunication calls, and by including telephone numbers (and names) corresponding to received incoming calls having a predetermined minimum duration. Other affinity name information, for example, to correspond to affinity telephone numbers of outgoing calls, is obtained in the preferred embodiment by accessing a name or other information database maintained by a service provider. The affinity database is maintained preferably as an affinity stack, with any affinity numbers having a comparatively higher frequency of use clustered in an upper portion of the affinity stack, and with any affinity numbers having a comparatively higher duration of use also clustered in an upper portion of the affinity stack.
Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, from the claims and from the accompanying drawings.
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Gamburd Nancy R.
Lucent Technologies - Inc.
{haeck over (S)}mits T{overscore (a)}livaldis I.
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